15 charged in Stark County cocaine ring

Tuesday

Canton, Massillon and Orrville residents are accused of smuggling drugs from Mexico and California.

A total of 15 people are accused of smuggling large amounts of cocaine and heroin from Mexico and California to Stark County.

Those named in the 39-count federal indictment in U.S. District Court in Cleveland are:

Miguel Reyes-Perez, 33, a Mexican citizen living in Canton.

Miguel Ayala-Cardona, 52, of Canton

Juan Silverio Castro-Castrio, 18, of Massillon

Louis Dunson Jr., 49, of Canton

Louis Dunson III, 26, of Canton

Oscar Fabian Garcia-Reyes, 29, of Canton

Michael Yarnell Harris, 40, of Massillon

David Deon Jones-Dehart, 38, of Orrville

Stephanie J. Dehart, 48, of Orrville

Albino Lopez-Ruvalcaba, 43, of Canton

Willie J. Middleton, 63, of Canton

Earnest L. Nelson Jr., 36, of Orrville

Rogelio Tello-Ramirez, 51, of Canton

Ciro Ajualip, 26, of Canton

Alvaro Orosco, 34, of Canton

A warrant is outstanding for Louis Dunson III following arrests made Tuesday morning, said Vicki Anderson of the FBI's Cleveland office. He remains at large.

Charges among the defendants include attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and heroin.

Reyes-Perez received cocaine and heroin from California, Mexico and elsewhere, which he then redistributed to drug customers, including Ayala-Cardona, Castro-Castrio, the Dunsons, Garcia-Reyes, Harris, Jones-Dehart, Dehart, Lopez-Ruvalcaba, Middleton, Nelson, Tello-Ramirez and Ajualip, according to a news release issued Tuesday afternoon from the office of Justin Herdman, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland.

The drug activity occurred between August 2016 and April 2019, according to the indictment.

According to court records, the defendants knowingly agreed to possess, with the intent to distribute, more than 11 pounds of a substance containing cocaine and 100 grams or more of a substance containing heroin.

Several of the defendants used cellphones to communicate via calls and text messages regarding drug transactions, court records said. Some of the defendants distributed drugs to a confidential source, the indictment said.

Text messages among various defendants discussed drug amounts and prices, the indictment alleges. Investigators also recorded phone calls between various defendants discussing drugs, according to court records.

During one transaction, Reyes-Perez distributed roughly 72 grams of heroin to a confidential source, delivering the drugs in a box of laundry detergent, court records said. Reyes-Perez also distributed cocaine and and heroin to a confidential source on other occasions while concealing the drugs in boxes of laundry detergent.

Additionally, Reyes-Perez is charged with illegal reentry into the United States. He was found in the country on April 4 after having been deported on Jan. 30, court records said.

In April, Orosco traveled by airplane from Fresno, Calif., to Cleveland to assist Reyes-Perez in receiving about 22 pounds of cocaine, the indictment alleges. The cocaine was hidden in a compartment of a 2009 Toyota Tacoma, which was driven from California to Ohio, according to court records.

"This group brought large amounts of heroin and cocaine into Stark County at (a) time when record numbers of our neighbors were dying from drug overdoses," Herdman said in a written statement. "We will continue to work to disrupt drug trafficking organizations and seek long prison sentences for those profiting off the drug epidemic."

"Those 15 indicted individuals may live in our area hometowns of Canton, Massillon, Orrville and Wooster, but they had far-reaching contacts that allowed them to bring dangerous illegal drugs into and across our country," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith.

In the same news release, Canton Police Chief Jack Angelo said city police remain committed to working with federal law enforcement "to eradicate this type of criminal activity from (Canton)."

Massillon Police Chief Keith T. Moser said in a statement that Massillon police "are committed to maintaining these relationships (with law enforcement partners) for the safety and welfare of our community."

The case was also investigated by the FBI and the MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ed.balint@cantonrep.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

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